Petitioning

SOME HILLINGDON PETITIONS WILL BE HEARD IN MARCH 2015 – we think most likely petitions from the borough border with Denham up to Harvil Road, up to the start of Ickenham (it is yet to be confirmed exactly who will be heard). This is a worry as we would hope that the process would enable all Hillingdon petitions to be heard together, with the council being heard first. It seems that Harefield will be heard seperately as part of the Colne Valley. Keep an eye on here and our facebook group for updates as we become aware of them.

If a 9 year old can petition – so can you!

Petitioning Meeting – (21/01/2015) – Great turnout at The Civic Centre today for the HS2 petitioning meetings – we hope that everyone who attended found it informative and useful. For anyone who didn’t make it – or who petitioned and didn’t know about the meetings, please message us with your email address and we can forward the slides and notes to you. If you are a petitioner and haven’t already alerted us or The Council to your petition PLEASE also message us with your petition number to help us collate a comprehensive list and make sure you are included in all future support that we and Hillingdon Council will be offering. (info@ruislip-against-hs2.co.uk).

For many petitioners the main issues they will be petitioning about will be the extended tunnel option which would reduce or erase many of their concerns / petitioning points.

You can find useful documents the council provided about petitioning and extending the tunnel through Ickenham and the Colne Valley here.

Select committee visit – (15/1/2015) – the committee visited HOAC, Harefield and Ickenham and parts of Ruislip last week. There was a great turn out from local residents to how how much the impacts of HS2 are affecting peoples lives. Visit our facebook group (Ruislip Against HS2) for pictures or see our twitter feed @HillingdonAHS2

Petitioning update (summer 2014) – If you have submitted a petition to be heard by the HS2 Select Committee please get in touch and let us know. Before petitions are heard we will be holding meetings to help everyone prepare their evidence with input and advice from Hillingdon Council. We don’t yet know when London petitioners will be called onand we had expected it would be early next year. However the Select Committee have indicated that they may move London petitions forward ,so it’s best to be prepared early! We should however be given at least 4 weeks notice – but do let us know about your petitions.

Update (26/5/14):

The petitioning period is now over and over 1900 petitions were lodged against HS2.

Lottie and Sir John Randall MP delivered some of the local petitions to Portcullis House last week.

It is now a waiting game till people and groups are called to petition to the Select Committee and this may take some time.

Previous petitioning information:

As the hybrid bill reaches it’s second reading all groups and individuals should be thinking about submitting petitions, which will give them or their representative the right to be heard in front of a Parliamentary committee.

Placing a written petition costs £20.

Petitioners are meant to be ‘directly affected’ by HS2, but not one of the petitioners to the Crossrail Bill were challenged, including one from Norfolk, despite the fact Crossrail is a London based project.

If you don’t ask for this level of assurance then HS2 will design the plans and construction to suit them not you with no way to change things.

The main thing you need to know is you have to petition in a limited time in a formal document. Petitions from individuals have to submitted by the 23rd of May. Get in touch with us about petitioning by emailing info@ruislip-against-hs2.co.uk

The petition must be lodged on time, you can then add the detail and follow up at a later date – which may be weeks, months or years later. But you cannot miss the petition lodging stage or it will be too late!!!

Then either HS2 will agree to your petition, possibly negotiate with you directly or you can go to the petitioning committee to state your case. There you will explain your issue to a panel of MPs and they will decide whether HS2 should agree to amend their plans. We are told the panel of MPs are very kind and reassuring to residents.

Your local residents association, councillors and even neighbours will hopefully be petitioning too – so talk to others, send us copies of your petitions and watch this website for updates.